"What's the harm in asking?" – Dlala Studios takes a bold step to enlist comedy icon Bob Mortimer for the upcoming title Murals

Bob Mortimer may be an unfamiliar name to anyone who hasn’t spent time in the United Kingdom, but within British comedy circles he is a heavyweight. He first rose to fame as half of the surreal double act Reeves and Mortimer, and more recently claimed victory on the UK edition of Amazon’s Last One Laughing competition. At Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 the developer Dlala Studios revealed that Mortimer will also lend his voice to their forthcoming game, Murals.

The story of how Mortimer became involved began with a simple creative spark. Founder Aj Grand‑Scrutton and lead writer Kelsy Abbott had drafted a character that was essentially a parody of the comedian.

After completing the draft, they wondered whether they could actually persuade the real Bob Mortimer to appear in the project. "One day I was sitting at my desk and thought, ‘What’s the harm in just asking?’" Grand‑Scrutton told GamesIndustry.biz during the Gamescom interview. He phoned Mark Landers at Side and asked if they could get in touch with Mortimer’s representatives.

Landers responded positively, promising to find the agent and manager. Within a few hours he called back: the representatives liked the idea, wanted to see a script, and were willing to meet the team. At that point Dlala only had a handful of jokes.

Grand‑Scrutton and Abbott pulled an all‑nighter, hammering out a two‑ to three‑page script that captured the tone they imagined for Mortimer’s character. Grand‑Scrutton later described those 48 hours as "the longest of his life". He recalled the nervous excitement: "Why did we think we could write Bob Mortimer‑style comedy and show it to Bob Mortimer?" Kelsy was equally frazzled, worrying that they were being presumptuous by trying to imitate the man himself.

When the script finally landed on Mortimer’s desk, the response was enthusiastic. "He loves it. He’d love to be part of this," the team reported. The next step was a recording session in London, where Dlala typically directs all voice work.

Grand‑Scrutton laughed that they didn’t need to "direct" Mortimer because everything he said came out perfect. He added a personal observation: "Honestly, the Bob Mortimer you see on television is a hundred times nicer and funnier than he is in person." Securing a star of Mortimer’s stature marks a dramatic leap from Dlala’s modest origins. The studio was founded in 2012 by Grand‑Scrutton and Craig Thomas, who first met while working at Jagex. Their first office was literally Grand‑Scrutton’s garage in Witham, Essex.

Today the company employs 43 people and operates from a purpose‑built office just around the corner from Grand‑Scrutton’s childhood home. Since those early days, Dlala has built a reputation for collaborating on other developers’ intellectual property. In 2020 they released a modern take on Battletoads, reviving the classic Rare franchise, and three years later they delivered Disney Illusion Island.

Grand‑Scrutton emphasizes that these projects were never traditional licensing deals; the studio was always directly contracted by the IP owners. The Battletoads partnership emerged after a period of work‑for‑hire assignments, one of which was supporting Rare’s Sea of Thieves. Dlala’s contribution to Sea of Thieves earned the trust of Microsoft and Rare, paving the way for future collaborations.

Grand‑Scrutton explained that when Dlala was a twelve‑person team, the entire studio helped Rare polish Sea of Thieves in the six months leading up to its launch. That dedication, he says, “proved our capability to deliver end‑to‑end quality.” Armed with that credibility, Grand‑Scrutton began pitching Battletoads to former Rare studio head Craig Duncan in 2012. After years of persistence, Duncan finally gave the green light in 2016, but the deal didn’t close until 2018.

The success of Battletoads and the visibility it gave Dlala on Xbox Game Pass convinced other big publishers that the studio could handle major IPs. A similar path led to Disney Illusion Island. Grand‑Scrutton admits that he once gave an overly candid interview in which he mentioned a Disney project that had been cancelled in 2016, fearing it would close the door on future Disney collaborations.

However, after Battletoads proved their worth, Grand‑Scrutton jokingly suggested reaching out to Disney again. The conversation felt like a high‑school reunion, with both sides acknowledging how they had changed. The result was a new partnership that produced Illusion Island, a title Grand‑Scrutton describes as a career highlight.

When it comes to negotiating deals, Dlala does not rely on aggressive sales tactics or promises of massive profits. Their pitch is simple: they love the IP, they have ideas to make it shine, and they hope the collaboration will succeed. Having proven themselves with Rare and Disney, many expected Dlala to chase another licensed property. Instead, the studio chose to invest in its own original IP.

A Canadian family office expressed interest in co‑funding a project, and Dlala decided to allocate half of the development budget themselves. Grand‑Scrutton reflects on the decision: "We took all the lessons, tools, and experience we accumulated over a decade and decided to create something we own.

If it fails, we’re fully responsible, but the potential reward is ours." Murals, the game at the centre of this narrative, is a combat‑focused title that aims to be easy to pick up yet deep enough for seasoned players. Design director Grant Allen explains that while the core combat is straightforward, the game incorporates rogue‑like inspired items called "Eeries". These trinkets act like a chemistry set, allowing players to mix and match attributes that modify weapons and abilities.

Bob Mortimer voices the eccentric character Magic Dave, who runs the "Vending Machine of Delights" and adds a distinctive comedic flavor to the experience. The shift to original IP carries significant risk. Dlala had to downsize staff in 2016 after the initial Disney deal fell through, and Grand‑Scrutton acknowledges that betting on a self‑published title is "massively" risky. He stresses that the studio’s financial planning never assumes royalties; they treat the project as a potential zero‑revenue venture to protect employees’ jobs.

"We’ve put every penny we have into making this game the best it can be," he says, noting that the team’s livelihoods are not directly tied to the game's commercial performance, even though the emotional stakes are high. To manage the publishing side, Dlala hired Marcus Purvis as head of publishing. Purvis, who first met Grand‑Scrutton during Microsoft’s Lift London incubator program, was immediately enthusiastic about Murals.

He describes the decision to self‑publish as a "no‑brainer" because it grants the studio rapid decision‑making and creative freedom. One tangible benefit of that freedom is the ability to produce a limited‑edition comic book that expands the Murals universe. Grand‑Scrutton recounts how a chance meeting with a comic‑book creator led to a nine‑week sprint: writing, art, and production were completed in a matter of weeks—something that would be impossible under a traditional publisher’s budget constraints.

He notes that while the comic may not generate direct ROI, self‑publishing allows Dlala to allocate resources to passion projects that enrich the brand. Ultimately, Murals represents an evolution of Dlala’s core strengths: hand‑drawn aesthetics, tight combat systems, and a distinctive sense of humor. Grand‑Scrutton acknowledges that humor is subjective and that few games have successfully integrated comedy, but he believes having Bob Mortimer on board gives them a significant edge.

"Having Bob Mortimer is a massive bonus for us," he concludes, confident that the blend of quirky humor and polished gameplay will resonate with players worldwide.